Method and means of producing composite photographs with sound accompaniment



c. H. DUNNING I W 1,858,767

METHOD AND MEANS OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHS WITH SOUND ACCOMPANIMENT Filed Oct. 1. 1928 Elmo/rm Carroll Patented May 11, 1932 v, a A 1,858,767

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE I a n i CARROLL H. DUNNING, L08 AN GELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T DUNNIN PROCESS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA I IETHOD AND MEANS OF PRODUCING COMPOSITE PHOTOGRAPHS WITH SOUND ACCOKPANIMENT Application m October 1, 1925. Serial no. 809,892.

This invention relates to photography, and 'sound accompaniment, by producing sepaarticularly to that type of photography rately one of the component portions of said avingasound-accompaniment. At the presphotograph followed by photographing a out time, so-called talking moving pictures second component portion simultaneously are being' exhibited at different theatres with the recording of sound accompaniment,

throughout the country. Talking moving then combining the separate components topictures present quite a prbblem in that the gether with the sound accompaniment. actors must perform in a room which is However, I do not desire to confine myself sound-proof in order that extraneous sounds to any specific method of producin or com 10 should not be introduced into the recording bini ng the component portions. he comapparatus. Difficulties, however, are often poslte photograph may be made by any of encountered, particularly if the .so-called the present practice methods, such as the scenes require different locations in which traveling mat or'protective action silhouette case so-called trick photography must be inin conjunction with a background scene, or

15 troduced. Ordinarily in the so-called talkin by interposing an opaque portion while phomoving picture,-the film itself carries a sound tographing another portion of a composite wave and this sound wave actuates certain pho ograph, simultaneously with the recordelectrical responsive apparatus which affects ing of sound accompaniment. an amplifying arrangement and loud speak- The above methods are only by way of :0 er, so that the audience hears certain sound, example, as other means may be utilized by 05 either talking, the roar of cannons, motors, any one skilled in the art. and the like, during the progress of the pic- The production of sound accompaniment ture. If, for instance, a. given scene were Is at present only accomplished in studios to be depicted such as a fortress and observ equipped for this purpose and therefore it 25 ers in a balloon above said fortress, it would is exceedingly difiicult and expensive if no in be readily realized that the production of fact impossible to photograph actors at inac the so-called talking picture for such a; situacessible locations with synchronous'sound ac tion would be difiicult of accomplishment. companiment. In the example first given The present invention resents anovel and wherein a balloon was above a fortress, it is '30 useful method of being a le to photographipossible by my invention not only tointrocally record such a scene along with any acduce into said scene a dialogue depicting a companiment desired, whether it be voice, conversation between theobservers in the balmuslc, gun-fire, or the like, under the direct loon, but likewise introduce scenes of distant control of the producer of such a picture and gunfire or martial airspresumably coming 35 without extraneous sounds other than the from the fortress. Of course, either one or sounds desired being present. I the other of such sounds may be eliminated The invention contemplates objects other as desired. than those above mentioned, which permit In carryin out my improved method refa photographing of several situations or acerence is ma e in the first instance to United 40 tions in an inexpensive manner and one that States Letters Patent for method of producwill produce su rior results which can be ing composite photographs, issued January 4,

ascertained in a vance of actual photograph- 1927,v No. 1,613,163, which patent describes in in detail a method of composite photography irimarily my invention contemplates the wherein the action is adapted to be placed 4 production of composite photographs with upon certain scenes without phantom. The

method described in this patent may be utilized in carrying out an embodiment of the present invention. However, I describe a given method which has given excellent results where sound accompaniment is utilized. This method consists in the following, assuming that I intend to utilize a fortress scene with a captive balloon thereabove, as before mentioned, I will first describe one method of producing a transparency, also called a transparent member of the fortress: I first take a negative of the fortress scene which may have been made from an actual setting, a miniature, or an illustration. From this negative, I print a positive on one side of an unexposed double coated film. By double coated film, I mean any light sensitive film having an emulsion on both sides or two single coated films which when together have two light sensitive surfaces. I develop and fix this positive-without exposing the other side. Then I pass light through the finished positive, thus producing a negative exposure of the given scene on the other side of the double'coated film. I then dye tone the positive side a certain color, such as orange, and the negative side I dye tone some neutral shade, such as bluish gray. These two dye toned images are so balanced as to have the same photographic value to approximate white light. The dye toning consists in replacing the exposed silver salts with some chemical of a certain color on the positive side and some chemical of a neutral shade on the negative side. These operations can be reversed by starting with a positive of the fortress scene instead of a negative.

The transparent member containing the previously prepared fortress scene is now placed forwardly of an unexposed panchromatic film, and the second scene (in this case, the men in the balloon basket) is illuminated with light to which the transparent-member simultaneously 'panying drawing,

is uniformly transparent. The background of the second scene is simultaneously illuminated evenly with light approximately complementary in color to the color of the positive side of the transparent member. Then the transparent member and the second scene are exposed simultaneously to the unexposed panchromatic film and simultaneously with the recording of the dialogue of the men in the-balloon basket. Sound efi'ects presumably comingfrom the distant fortress scene, or elsewhere,

with the recording of the dialo e, or may be combined with the sound recor ing at another time.

The method "s illustrated in the accomwherein the figure is a diagrammatic view showing one manner of producing a composite picture with sound accompaniment in accordance with the inventlOIl.

In the drawing, the transparent member prising sound recording means may be interpolated or film containing the first component or background action of the composite picture to be produced is designated as a, the panchromatic film or composite picture negative is designated as b, the foreground action is designated as 0 and the background of the Second scene or foreground action is designated as (Z. The camera through which the negative I) and the transparent member pass is designated as e and is illustrated as comf' which is connected with a microphone 9 located in proximity to the foreground action 0, which action and the background d thereof are illuminated by means designated as h.

It is not departing from the spirit of my invention to expose thefortress negative to one side of the double coated stock and a positive of the fortress scene to the other side of'the double coated stock and develop and fix the two imagesat the same time;

and afterward dye tone the two images as before described.

If there is no appreciable movement in the fortress scene, I can produce it on a stationary glass or other transparent material by painting or photography.

Any previously prepared transparent member containing a component portion of a composite photograph, may be interposed between the basket scene and the unexposed panchromatic film, so long as it is uniformly transparent photographically to the illumination on the balloon basket scene and selectively transparent photographically to the background illumination of the basket scene.

The reason for coloring the background and the action just depicted has been set forth in the patent above mentioned.

I have not described herein any particular method of recording the sound, it being obvious that individual producers will have individual methods for this purpose, but I have provided a ready means whereby such sound can be produced in accordance with the scenes depicted.

Having thus disclosed my invention, I claim and'desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In the production of a motion picture comprising two components, the method of controlling the various sounds related to each component, which includes photographing the first component without sound, making a positive colored transparency therefrom whose shadows will pass light of approximately their own color and whose high lights will pass either neutral or complementary light; placing said transparency forwardly '0 an unexposed negative; making a composite photographic record on the unexposed negative by photographing the second com-' ponent through the positive transparency. of the first component by illuminating the second component with a light that will pass what uniformlythrough both high fights and shadows of the transparency and by illumimating-the background of the'second component with a light that will pass throu h 5 the high lights but not the shadows of tie transparency; simultaneously recording the desired synchronous sounds of the second component, and combining sound and composite picture record into one synchronous 0 unit, 7

In testimonywhereof I have signed my name .to this specification at Los Angeles, a California, this 24th day of Se tember, 1928.

i CARROLL H. UNNING. 

